you clear it out and the government is no different. the scale, just a matter of scale. >> reporter: the feds also refuse to sell valuable public landed a adjacent to fast-growing cities and let mining companies take billions in gold and silver for free, without charging royalties like we do for oil and natural gas. selling amtrak could net 60 billion. two taxpayer-owned utility, the tennessee valley authority, and bonneville power, would bring in even more. a commission could oversee the sale to overcome partisan opposition. >> the commission could look at all of the federal assets, decides which were the most valuable which could be sold to the least loss to common good. >> reporter: now the federal government already owns about 28% of all the land in the u.s. about 500 billion in mineral rights we give away. we have trillions in oil reserves, jon, we refuse to pump. yes, a yard sale could help bring down the national debt. but reuse, recycle, resell, are not words you hear on capitol hill. jon: that doesn't seem to happen very often.